Team Daemon races at the AMA Grand Championship! This weekend saw many,
many personal bests for all the team members, while riding against the
best riders from all over the country.
Find all of the weekends race results at the LRRS website here.
Well, this was my last race weekend of the year for me. :( I knew I was going to miss the last LRRS weekend to attend a wedding (can you believe it was a fellow racer, who will remain nameless, but what racer schedules his wedding on a race weekend?), but I thought I was going to make the Race of Champions in October, but those plans have since fallen through. So I knew this weekend was my last chance of the year to stand out.
But first I would like to take a minute to thank everyone who made this such a successful year, not only for the team, but for me as well. First I would like to thank all of our sponsors. What can I say, without them, it would be very unlikely I would be out there racing, at least not as seriously of competitively. I would like, however, to take a second to thank a few people who really went above and beyond this year:
Jodi F. Solomon: Sponsor of the year, as far as I am concerned. Not only did she contribute money to the team, even though her business is not motorcycle related, but she was there, at the track, rain or shine, whenever she could be. Giving the team moral support, helping around the pits, shopping for food, cooking, helping in anyway she could.
HJC: These guys have been fantastic, saving my head more times than I care to admit this year. Even if I had to buy my own helmet, it would be an HJC. Not only that, but this year they provided us with hand-held FRS radios that really helped around the pits and on those long road trips.
I could go on and on about all our sponsors this year, but I'll save that for our next Newsletter.
OK, back to the weekend. I was all packed and ready to go Thursday night. Friday, I split from work early, and am on the road by noon. I get to the, setup quickly, and sign-up for practice.
The afternoon practice sessions go well, and I'm feeling good, but there are so many bike on the track, it was really hard to get some good, hot laps in, so I took the opportunity to work on my lines and on being smooth.
After practice was done, Scott, Kit and Patrick "tuner to the stars!" Burns showed up, and we all headed into town for a bite to eat, and to go shopping for food for the weekend.
Once back at the track, I did a little work on the F4, and headed off to bed, leaving Patrick to tear into Kit's CB1. When I last saw him, he was elbow deep in the innards of her carbs.
Saturday:
At some point in the night, it had rained, so the track was wet
for the first practice. I went out, and knowing that it was cold,
wet and it was the first practice of the morning, I went out not planning
on pushing it at all, and just took my time, working on being smooth.
The second practice was nice and dry, and I was able to pick up the pace a bit, getting closer to race speed. I was fealing good.
Since this was the AMA Grand Championship weekend, the schedule had been modified. What this meant to me was that I didn't have any races on Saturday, so I spent the afternoon getting new tires mounted on the F4, then spent the rest of the day working a corner with the USMarshalls.
Saturday night, we all headed out for dinner where we ran into Tony I. and the rest of the SRNE group. For whatever reason, I talked Tony into signing up for the MWGP race on Sunday, thinking it would be fun to have someone I knew to race against. Unfortunately, he took me up on it. :)
Sunday:
Woke to a great day for racing. Both practices went well,
and I was fealing strong.
Race 1, MWGP:
-------------
First race of the day. I was gridded right in the middle
of the pack. I got a good start, but got caught up a bit in the traffic
going into turn 1, but was still able to hold my own. Going into
turn 3, Tony I. manages to sneak past me on the inside, and got through
he traffic up the hill a bit better than I did. The pack quickly
sorted itself out, and I put my head down to the task of making up ground
on the leaders.
My pit board was showing that I had someone right on my tail, so I concentrated on getting some distance on them. After about 3 laps, I way that they were dropping back, so I switched gears into catching up with the bikes in front of me. I caught a glimpse of Tony way ahead, caught up in a pack of bikes. Within 3 or 4 laps, I was right on his tail, and just in time too! Just as I caught up to him, he managed to make his way through the slower traffic, and I went right with him.
I sat of his tail, just to size him up. He was running off pace, because he can usually walk away from me, but I was sticking right with him, even having to back off every now and then. I decoded my best bet was to wait for the last lap to make a pass, because otherwise I feared he would just re-pass me. So that is what I did. I just sat on his tail, waiting for my opportunity.
The white flag came out. On the front straight I'm right on Tony's tail. As we get close to turn 1 I drop out from behind him to the inside. I show him a wheel, but the TZ has just too much corner speed, and I need to brake before him going into the turn. I'm right back on his tail going into turn 3, and try another inside pass, but this is Tony, and I don't want to stuff him, so I back out. Same thing happens in turn 6. Running out of track here.
As we enter turn 11, Tony floats wide. I see my opportunity and dart to the inside. This puts me on the outside for turn 12, where Tony get back a bit on the inside. I back off a bit to make the last left onto the straight, get onto the gas at just the wrong moment, as I'm going over the transition. The rear steps out to the right, then the left. I back out of the gas to recover, and that is all Tony needs. I finish less than a bike length behind him. Damn. Next time Tony! Still, it was a 12th place finish and I ran my best time ever, a 1:18.33!! Over 1.5 seconds faster than my previous best!
My next race was race #8, MWSS:
-------------------------------
I was gridded near the back, but got a good start and was able
to make some passes going into turn 1. The field quickly sorted itself
out, and I soon found myself chasing #505. I knew I could ride as
fast as him, so I made it my goal to pass him by the race end. For
several laps, I was right on his tail, but for whatever reason, I ran out
of steam, and slowly watched him pull away from me. My pit board
indicated that there was no one behind me, so I switched into cruise mode,
not wanting to end the season with a crash , and settles for another 12th
place finish. Still, I was running solidly in the 19's the whole
race!
Looking back over this past year, it has definitely been a major success! I competed in the very competitive MW class as an expert, managed several top 10 finishes, and knocked a total of 6 seconds of my time over the season. That;s not bad! At that rate, I'll be running at the front of the pack in no time next year.
I would like to thank everyone who have come up tot he track to spectate, help out, and just offer moral support. Your efforts do not go un noticed!
I can not wait until next year!
September 25-26 - eighth round of the Loudon Road Racing Series
(LRRS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This was my last race weekend of the year. I ended last season by stuffing my bike into the T3 tire wall and didn't want to repeat that this year. (Hey, at least I met Kevin Cameron and was quoted in Cycle World for my efforts! :-O ) I was also racing as an Expert for the first time.
Looking back on this season I'd have to say that it was definitely a good year. I started the year as an Amateur, moved up to Junior for the third race weekend, and made the move to Expert for this weekend. Along the way I managed to drop my lap times while at the same time feeling much more comfortable and in control. This was evident by the fact that I had only two minor crashes all year. Neither of which prevented me from re-entering and finishing the race. Last year, my rookie season, I had four race ending crashes as well as one crash in practice. You know that adage "relax, be smooth, speed will come"? It's true. Of course that's often easier said than done and I still have *lots* of room for improvement.
A huge thanks goes to all of this year's sponsors:
BikeWorx, Factory Pro Tuning, HJC, Jodi F. Solomon Speakers Bureau, Lockhart Phillips, Fog City/Modern World Ventures, North Reading Honda/Kawasaki, PK Suspension/GMD CompuTrack, Parametric Technology Corporation, Sharkskinz, Spectro Oils, Street & Competition, The Knee Dragon, Vanson Leathers, and Woodcraft/CFMotorsports.
Without them this season would have taken much more effort and money
than it did. All of our sponsors were important and contributed to
a successful season but there are three sponsors in particular that I'd
like to mention.
Galen Miller and the BikeWorx crew:
Galen is the undisputed Skorpion guru in the country. Folks
from all over the country call to ask advice and send components to get
that special BikeWorx edge. I am fortunate to have him as my local
dealer. Also no slouch on the track, Galen is always willing to lend advice
or just shoot the breeze. He's also been known to sacrifice his own
sleep to ensure that someone else has a race bike ready to go. Of
course he's also been known to sacrifice sleep so that he can road race
on Saturday, flat track race Saturday evening, and then road race again
on Sunday. :-)
Thanks Galen!
When Galen is otherwise occupied I know I can also turn to Kevin for help with my bike. Always willing to lend a hand or find that M6 bolt that I need (and drill it for safety wire), it was good to also have him to turn to throughout the season. Thanks Kevin!
And, of course, what would BikeWorx be without Danielle? We
all know she really runs the show there and keeps the boys (and everyone
else) in line. She made sure I had parts when I needed them and always
had a smile, even on bad days. (Or was that a glare? :-)) Thanks
Danielle!
HJC:
Last year I wore an HJC helmet that I bought with my own money.
Unfortunately for me, I put it to the test (and pavement) on more than
one occasion. Fortunately for me the helmet performed flawlessly
and I walked away from every crash with a clear head (well, at least as
clear as it was before I crashed). The helmet was never a distraction
because it is light and comfortable. Even if HJC didn't provide the
team with helmets this year I would have gladly and without hesitation
purchased one for this season. In addition to the helmets, HJC provided
the team with radios. These too proved to be invaluable to the team.
Because many on our team are also corner workers, we're often scattered
about the track at any given time. The radios allowed us to keep
in touch throughout the day. They were extremely useful on our trip
to Pocono, allowing us to stay in touch on the road as well as at the track.
A big thanks to HJC for keeping my head in one piece!
Jodi Solomon:
Besides being a generous team sponsor, race weekends often found
Jodi at the track cheering us on, preparing food, or lending a hand with
tire warmers and whatever else was needed. Unlike all of our other
sponsors, Jodi's company is not associated with the motorcycle industry
and probably has little to gain from people seeing her stickers on our
bikes and banners. She sponsors the team simply because she wants
to. Thanks Jodi!
The season would not have been as enjoyable (or possible) without
fellow racers and competitors. Besides my teammates there were a
number of folks who lent advice and support or were just fun to race against.
I'm sure to leave out people but I'll go ahead and mention a few names.
In no particular order: Jack Aksel, Tony Iannarelli, Kevin Kennedy, Paul
Conley, Mark Gardiner, Shandra!, Wade, and the rest of the SRNE and NEDoD
racers. I hope to see everyone back next season!
OK, back to this weekend. Because it was my last race weekend and my first as an Expert, I decided to take it easy and just enter one race, GP Singles. Because this was the AMA Grand Championships, the schedule was a little different and GP Singles was on Saturday instead of the usual Sunday slot. If I felt up to it at the end of the day on Saturday, I could still enter a race or two on Sunday.
It rained Friday night so when practice started Saturday morning the track was still wet as well as cold. I considered skipping my first practice but went out and took it easy. I don't think anyone was really pushing and I had a slow, uneventful practice. By the time my second practice rolled around the track had dried out and the temperature had started to rise. This practice was also uneventful and I felt relaxed.
My race wasn't until late in the day so I had a lot of time to roam
around and watch races. I took a look at the grid when gridsheets
were posted and had a pretty good idea of where I'd end up. Let's
see, a swarm of RS125s, Jerry Wood on his SuperMono, Robbins on his Bimota,
Galen on his Skorpion, Cook on some BCD creation, Dahl on his beast, hmmmm...
maybe I could just avoid getting lapped.
GP Singles - Saturday Race 11: 14th place
------------------------------------------
Conditions are perfect. I'm gridded in 4C, 2nd to last row
of Experts. Green flag drops and I get an OK start. We're about 4
or 5 wide going into T1. Good thing RS125s are so tiny! The
field quickly spreads out. I manage to keep a few guys in sight for the
first lap but the gap grows once we hit the front straight. Someone
is right on my tail and from the sound and glint of yellow I catch out
of the corner of my eye I know it's Kevin. Some how I managed to
get ahead of him at the start. He usually gets a better start than
me but my move to Expert gave me a couple extra rows of cushion on the
starting grid. I manage to hold him off for a few laps and he shows
me a wheel every now and then just to remind me he's there. On one
lap he pulls beside me at the end of the straight and trys to out brake
me. I don't let him and we both go in to T1 a little wide.
He comes by on the T2-3 straight but I get back underneath him in T3.
He shows me a wheel going into T6 but I have the line and hold him off.
As we come out of T7 the yellow flag is waving for T8. I come over
the rise and see John Dahl and his bike still tumbling and sliding out
of T8 and into T9. I take the inside line even as John jumps up and
starts running toward the inside of the turn. I hope Kevin has decided
to take the outside line. At the end of the straight Kevin gets ahead
of me and beats me to T1. Now its my turn to chase him. He
has a bit more motor on the straight but I can usually close up in T1.
On one occasion I try to beat him to T2 but don't have enough and have
to brake hard to avoid a collision. That kills my drive out of T2
but I'm back on him by T11. On what turns out to be the start of
our last lap, young phenom Jason DiSalvo comes by and the white flag is
shown. This is my last chance to try to get by Kevin. I can't
do it and he takes the checkered just ahead of me. Our on track time
reads the same 00:12:44.
I consider it a good race when the only person to lap me is a kid
who is about to compete in the World GPs next month. I had a great
race with Kevin and decide that that's a fine way to end the season.
I'm the last finishing Expert (two DNFed) but when I pull into our garage
I can't wipe the smile off my face. Scott also pulls in with a big
grin and we both amuse Patrick by immediately blurting out all the usual
racer excuses - "If I only had a little more HP I could have passed
him", "My suspension wasn't working well", "My front tire was chattering
going into T1", ... Ah, I absolutely love a good race.
It was a good year and I can't wait until next season!
Drove up Saturday morning for a day of racing. Drove through a few minutes of light rain south of the track, and cursed myself for leaving the rainsuit home.
Signed up for Lightweight Thunderbike (race 5) and Production Twins (race 7). It wasn't raining at the track, but everything was wet. First practice was on a very wet track, and I went in early after sliding around for a few laps. Second practice was much better. It had warmed up a bit, and the track had dried out nicely. The cool thing about the Championship weekend is that there alot of riders that are new to the track. I got to dice with a 748, who'd blow past me on the straight but pass back by turn 2. Lap times (~1:33) for practice were slow because of the heavy traffic in practice.
Before race 5, I cornerworked turn 4. The corner captain used to race, and told me about an endurance race he was in on the old Bryar Motorsports track. His brakes went away after a few hours, and he learned how to just not use his brakes as much. He was able to get within a second of his best lap times. For race 5, I gave it a shot.
Race 5, Lightweight Thunderbike:
--------------------------------
I was in the second wave, but for some reason the middle of the
grid was empty. I was able to get a great start without having to worry
about riders blocking my path to T1. I was fourth or fifth into T1.
The track is crowded with 58 other bikes in both Middleweight Superbike
and Lightweight Thunderbike, so I got into heavy traffic early. It's weird
to just be passing people left and right. On the second lap, another rider
gets inside me for T1 and tried to outbrake me. I get suckered in, try
to outbrake him to go around the outside, blow the corner and go around
the oval. The next 4-5 laps are spent making up the positions I lost. I
finally catch back up to the late braker, get inside him, and brake REALLY
late for T1. He tries to go around the outside, blows it and goes across
the grass. Ha ha. I get a fifth, with a gap in front and behind me. I look
at my lap times afterwards...1:29.891! My best yet. I guess smooth = faster
is true.
Race 7, Production Twins:
-------------------------
I'm in the third wave, in the back row of my wave. I get another
good start. I'm fourth out of T2. First lap, second place rider crashes
in T3. The now second place rider is slow, and I pass him in six. I follow
the leader for a lap, and then lose him in traffic. I put my nose down,
catch him in traffic, and see that he's dog slow through T9/T10. Next lap,
I go around the outside on T10 and hold him off for a lap. He late brakes
me into T3, I try to tuck back underneath him to beat him to T4, but I
slowed too much avoiding him. I can't pass him in T10 again because of
heavy traffic, and lose him a little in T1 when I run a little wide. Trying
too hard to catch him for the last lap, I apex too early for T10, run wide
on the exit and head into the dirt. I keep on the gas, bike jumping all
over, and get back on the track. The leader has a two second gap now, and
I can't make that up in the two corners left. I finish second. Later I
go to get my lap times...
1:29.472
1:29.717
1:30.650
1:29.404
1:28.596
1:29.590
1:32.185
I've lowered my best lap time by over 1.5 seconds in one weekend. Maybe Patrick did something to my bike after he finished with Kit's... After all, he was pretty tired. Maybe he just forgot to tell me... Or maybe not hammering on the brakes allows you to carry more corner speed with the chassis/suspension settled.
The trophy presentation that night was the first time they had us stand on the box at the winner's circle. Very cool, but I would've liked that first place trophy.
This was my last race weekend of the year. Next year, the trophies
won't come as easily. I'll be moving up to Junior.
Coming Soon!
AMA Grand Championship at NHIS - 9/25-26
After taking off 2 race weekends for a well-deserved vacation, I returned to NHIS for the AMAGC combined with LRRS. On this weekend, racers from other regions and organizations descend on NHIS to see who's faster than who. Most of the class structures are the same between AMA and LRRS with slightly different names - LightWeight Sportsman is called LightWeight Thunderbike - an oxymoron if you ask me, but there it is. Also, the race schedules were different and they had LW Thunderbike as the 2nd-to-last race on Sunday. I didn't feel like hanging around for that (neither did Bruce), so I entered LW Superbike, knowing full well I wouldn't be competitive, but it would be good track time to get back in shape.
Practice felt awkward, I wasn't feeling in 'race mode', so I took the time to warm myself up with moderate laps, and gradual speed and lean increases.
Sat 9/25 - GP SINGLES - Race 12
-------------------------------
This is always a good race for me, good racers, a good time.
I had raised the carb needles a notch in an effort to gain more top end,
and in practice it seemed to be stronger. I managed a mediocre start but
stayed with the pack through turns 1, 1a, and 2. I was following Paul Conley
and Bruce, and motored past Paul in T4. After that, it was a series of
laps where I didn't gain or lose ground on anyone. My best lap (5) was
a 1:30.6 and I finished 5th for 8 more points.
Sun 9/26 - LW SUPERBIKE - Race 2
--------------------------------
Again, I took a mediocre start into Turn 1 and held on to let the
traffic stretch out. I knew Mike Isabelle and Paul Conley were ahead of
me, so I kept my head down and chased after Paul, catching him on the front
straight. I then started gaining on Mike, moving closer to him on
every turn, we came out of 12, my front tire grazing his rear tire I began
to chase him down the front straight. There were 3 or so riders ahead of
us. As we approached T1, one rider went down in front of me to my left
- right where I wanted to go. I had to bail around the NASCAR oval and
get back in line and start playing catch-up again. What I hadn't seen was
that Paul was now very close to me. On the last lap I was still chasing
Mike, but the engine was starting to misfire on wide open throttle - I
was losing ground in tiny increments. As I came out of 12, I tried to open
the throttle again and it misfired a couple of times, and Paul was able
to motor past me. I finished 14th.
Special thanks to Jodi Solomon for coming up and helping out just because she wanted to - cooking, pit queen, conversation, she really enjoys the spirit of the racing environment!.
Also special thanks to Patrick for coming up and helping out with various tuning and garage duties - carb rebuilding from 10pm to 4am is waaaay beyond the call. He's also a calm person when things get a little hectic.
Big thanks to all our sponsors: Factory Pro Tuning, HJC, Jodi F.
Solomon Speakers Bureau, Lockhart Phillips, Fog City/Modern World Ventures,
North Reading Honda/Kawasaki, PK Suspension/GMD CompuTrack, Parametric
Technology Corporation, Sharkskinz, Spectro Oils, Street & Competition,
The Knee Dragon, Vanson Leathers, and Woodcraft/CFMotorsports.
Did not race this weekend.